


Every Breath You Take

by pottergerms



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Clubbing, Getting Together, M/M, Muggle Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 12:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11851749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pottergerms/pseuds/pottergerms
Summary: In which Harry Potter falls victim to a 80s hit from the muggle sensation The Police or "Hermione Granger needs to stop meddling before something terrible happens". You choose.





	Every Breath You Take

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a songfic, I promise. I'm not cheesy. I swear I'm better than this... *sobbing in shame*. Don't judge me, world. Sometimes you just have to.

The year was 2001. A group of friends was enjoying a night out, when a famous song from the 80s came on and everyone was excited. The group, mind you, was not exactly the people you have in mind. It was a surprise to everyone, I swear.

Anyway, the song came up and one of the friends, the most intelligent woman you'll ever meet, started giggling. After a few seconds, she was laughing so bad they stopped dancing with the slow rhythm of the song and started looking at her as if she was going mad. Maybe she was.

Amid worrying looks, she said "Oh Merlin, Harry. This song always reminded me of you in school. In fact, I can't listen to it without laughing. So sorry!" and started having another fit. She even had to sit down, if you'll believe me.

 _Every breath you take_  
_Every move you make_  
_Every bond you break_  
_Every step you take_  
_I'll be watching you_

"Why would that song remind you of me?" asked Harry. He was very puzzled about the whole thing, but his sixth sense new it would not end well. Unfortunately, he never listened to it.

Hermione Granger, the girl previously having a metaphorical seizure, suddenly lost any sign of good humour, and looked around anxiously. "You know what? Forget it. It's stupid anyway..."

"I'm curious too", said the person you'd never expect to see spending time with that group. I told you it was surprising. A true shock when it happened, first slowly and then all at once. The weirdest friendship you'll imagine: a muggleborn and the purest pureblood you'll ever see.

In fact, let's go back in time a bit.

Two years after The War (yes, in capitals for dramatics), Hermione Granger was starting her first class as a Healer-in-Training, when she bumped into someone. That someone was none other than Draco Malfoy, and she couldn't help the expression of pure confusion she made at that moment.

Malfoy was, as always, cold. But he was also polite. They got the how-have-you-beens out of the way and realised they were in the same class. Nothing new, since they shared classes for most of their lives and Hermione's life would never be that easy. What was new (but not really), was the next question he made: "How is Potter?"

Hermione, honest to God, wanted to laugh. Very loudly. You know those people who think of horrifying things to do in certain moments, like scream bloody murder in the middle of someone else's speech? That was her at that moment. She wanted to jump up and down, just for the sake of it. It was just hilarious and she had to use all the manners she possessed to keep her face straight.

"He's fine", she said. Which was a sort-of-true fact. He wasn't happy, per se, since he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, and had recently broken up with Ginny Weasley, a fact Hermione knew would be well received by Malfoy. But she told him none of it, even though she wanted to so badly.

From that moment on, the two became reluctant friends. Those who see each other everyday, but try not to get too close. Well, life was taking none of it, and soon she started telling him things about her life. How she and Ron got together, what he did, where they lived—"With Harry... we share a flat", she said, looking him in the eyes, waiting for the casual eyebrow raise. She was very pleased when it came, combined with an almost invisible blush.

After three whole months, Draco told her, like someone who's removing a heavy book from the highest shelf at the library, "I'm gay". _Well_ , she thought, _like that's news_. But she didn't say that. In fact, she acted like it was a surprise, but you could see he was relieved. Relieved that didn't change anything.

I mean, she already knew he was part of a cult for blood purity in the past, so not much else would change her mind about him. He tried to hide, but she could see how he had changed. She liked him.

That is why, after debating with herself if she wanted to be the responsible for changing two people's lives, she told Harry almost everything. Not the gay part, of course. She wish you could all witness his reaction. A lot of sputtering in indignation, and more confusion than she expected. But the same blushing was there, and she knew it was the right decision.

It wasn't long before Harry started finding a lot of reasons to visit her at school, something he didn't care to do before. She made sure he never met the person he really wanted to see, just to be contrary, because, honestly, she was feeling a bit used!

After a few days, she felt bad about the whole ordeal and finally invited Harry for lunch, knowing Draco would be there. Best to get it over with, if you know what I mean. Hermione Granger had loads of qualities, except patience.

It was an interesting day. They were very cold, but you could smell the excitement from miles away. It was as if they were both in a coma, not really alive, but still breathing, until they saw each other once more. Suddenly they could experience the world again. It was the sappiest thought to ever cross her mind and she made sure never to repeat such atrocity.

That's what _she_ saw. They didn't see such thing, and kept the same behaviour as usual. The malice was gone, of course, but their stupidity was still there and she decided it was their problem. She already had exams to study for and other friends to worry about. One quality Hermione Granger had was being a no-nonsense person.

And that brings us to that night out. The song playing was _Every Breath You Take_ , by The Police. I know, a muggle song. Shocking! Well, in fact, not anymore.

After The War (oh the drama!), the Wizarding World decided it was time to incorporate muggle culture into their world. I know, about fucking time! Well, the young generation was entranced not long after—to say wizards didn't have a vast variety of music was an understatement. That weird mix of pictures and sound called "the movies" was quickly the most important thing to discuss at parties, and after a while it was _almost_ as if they were all living in the same world, except for the wands and magical creatures and, well, you know what I mean.

And that's why they all knew the song when it came up. They were a bit behind with the hits, so while the muggle world enjoyed Britney Spears, they were still blasting to Black Sabbath and Michael Jackson. It was hilarious to the muggleborns that were considered trendsetters now, simply because they knew way more about all of it than any pureblood ever would.

Anyway, that's why everyone was curious about Hermione's comment. They didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She was sweating, because it was the most stupid thing to say, and honestly, wasn't it just like her to ruin something that was slowly happening with her _giggling_?

Besides Harry and Draco, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Luna and even Pansy Parkinson were also looking in expectation. There was no escaping, so she took a deep breath and said: "Well, in school, sometimes, I would sing it to myself whenever you mentioned Malfoy. It's probably not even funny, but sometimes you were a bit… obsessed. So it was sort of funny?"

 _Every single day_  
_Every word you say_  
_Every game you play_  
_Every night you stay_  
_I'll be watching you_

She tried to cover up the awkwardness by laughing once more. After what felt like the longest moment of her life, they were laughing too. It was, indeed, funny as hell. It was all in what the called The Past (yep, get used to the bloody capitals!). They were all friends now, right? Pansy even said that _if she knew the song, she would probably sing it too, because Draco was always a bit on the cuckoo side_.

The only two people not seeing the humour in it were, well, Harry and Draco. What horrible friends they had, to push something like that out in the open without even realising? Well, Hermione probably knew what she had done, but the others were, honest to God, oblivious arseholes.

They were looking at each other as if meeting for the first time. The world seemed in slow motion, everyone laughing and singing, having a great time. The lights flickering, the darkness of the place making shadows dance on people's faces. It was their luck their friends had already changed subjects, because that moment would probably win the award for Weirdest Thing to Ever Happen.

Harry felt so sick of it all suddenly and he needed desperately to get away. I mean, he was on the brink of adulthood, give him a break. He can be dramatic, the guy died and all!

Without second thought, he walked in the direction of the door, and soon he couldn't see any faces he knew. It was a relief because fuck them. Why did no one tell him that when he was sixteen? It was fun and all to bring it up now, but he still felt the same way and the idiots didn't have a clue (except Hermione, and he thought that was even worse!).

Before he could get near the entrance, though, someone grabbed him by the upper arms and turned him so fast he was dizzy. Maybe drinking those wildfire mojitos was a terrible, terrible idea.

"Where are you going?" asked Malfoy, their faces so close Harry could see his gray eyes, shining in the dark. It was honestly a humbling experience. They never got physically close, and now he knew what he was avoiding. _What a beautiful face Draco Malfoy had_. He was always aware, but wasn't it just like Harry to write sonnets about that in the worst possible second? "What did she mean with that?"

"Who? Hermione or Parkinson?" Harry asked, humiliated by the question, somehow, but before Malfoy could respond, the instrumental gave way to the vocals again, and they were listening in such tension you could probably stumble on it on your way out of the club.

 _Oh can't you see_  
_You belong to me_  
_My poor heart aches_  
_With every step you take_

 _Every move you make_  
_Every vow you break_  
_Every smile you fake_  
_Every claim you stake_  
_I'll be watching you_  

 _Since you've gone I been lost without a trace_  
_I dream at night I can only see your face_  
_I look around but it's you I can't replace_  
_I feel so cold and I long for your embrace_  
_I keep crying baby, baby, please_

That was it, then. Subtlety was not something The Police was very aware of, apparently. Both boys were paralyzed; not only they had to acknowledge their own feelings, which by coincidence both had done already, years earlier, but they now knew it wasn't crazy and impossible. It was, in fact, as reciprocated as it could be. It felt as if they had gone back in time and witnessed all their interactions with a different set of lens.

If you ask me, the narrator of this story, that song gives me the creeps. It's mostly about obsessive, unrequited love. But, just in that case, it was about something else completely. And I'm also a sucker for a good old love story, so there's that.

As abruptly as a heart attack, Draco brought Harry even closer to his own face and let their noses touch, both men trying to get their lips closer without actually kissing. Anyone looking would think they were terrified and, well, they were. There was no coming back from this and, like I mentioned before, they were barely adults and all that shite.

But Harry Potter, my friends, was impulsive and a Gryffindor to boot. He got sick of being held with force like an animal trying to flee, and got both his arms free. Before Malfoy could have stupid notions of him trying to get away, Harry enveloped both arms around his neck and got their lips together, finally.

Somewhere in the afterlife Severus Snape was weeping and Albus Dumbledore was caressing his back in a soothing way and saying, in a very sober manner, "We all knew it was coming".

In that moment, I swear to God, time stopped for a second. It's physically impossible and all, but well, so is apparition, so fight me. That kiss was like finding the last piece of a puzzle you spent days trying to get together. It was like finding your dog after thinking you lost it. It was water in a desert and they were very, very thirsty. Merlin, where did that last sappy metaphor came from? I'm so sorry about that. Anyway.

Harry's hands were tangled in the fine blonde hairs of Draco's head, and Draco was holding Harry's waist with so much force it was possible, even probable, it would leave marks. They were licking and biting each other's lips, and soon their tongues were dancing together. It was sweet, if not bloody hot.

They stayed like that, having the most intense experience of their lives (well, not really, but you know how boys have their minds in the gutter), until it all stopped when a mildly amused bouncer came to say they had to move away from the door. They did, without losing their embrace, and they stopped with Harry pushed against a wall in the dark.

Draco smiled and moved to kiss his neck. Meanwhile, Harry was still stuck in that smile, because it was honestly the first one he got from Draco that didn't hide anything. The experience floored him.

"It was always you." Draco said. "I tried to move on, but I never stopped thinking about you."

Harry groaned. That, my friends, was the best thing he had ever heard. Let me tell you something about Harry Potter: he doesn't like to be abnormal, and thinking your enemy was hot as fuck was, in a few words, as different from normality as humanly possible. So to know he wasn't mental meant the world to him. To know it was a human experience, that it was ok.

He held Draco's face with his hands and looked him in the eye. They smiled to each other.

Somewhere in the dark, Hermione Granger was thanking Merlin she didn't ruin this one. _Finally_ , she thought to herself, and immediately afterwards started thinking of a plan to get Neville and Luna together.

God help us all.


End file.
